First Look: 8 Belmont stakes on Thursday-Friday

It is Belmont Stakes week at Belmont Park with four-straight days of stakes action beginning on Thursday. Below is an early look at the stakes slates for Thursday and Friday.

Thursday

$150,000 Astoria Stakes, 6 furlongs, 2-year-old fillies

American Bound scored at 12-1 on debut at Keeneland April 2 and came back to be a distant fifth in the Kentucky Juvenile at Churchill Downs 26 days later. Kaufymaker figures to draw plenty of attention off a sharp 6 1/4-length debut win at Keeneland for trainer Wesley Ward.

$200,000 Intercontinental (G3), 7 furlongs (turf), fillies and mares, 4-year-olds and up

Regal Glory closed out last year winning the Ladies Turf (G3) at Kentucky Downs and kicked off her 5-year-old campaign win in the April 11 Plenty of Grace at Aqueduct. She’s My Type is exiting a local win in the April 30 License Fee, while Sweet Bye and Bye ships north off a win in the March 27 Sands Springs at Gulfstream Park.

$200,000 Wonder Again Stakes (G3), 1 1/8 miles (turf), 3-year-old fillies

Gift List, Con Lima and Jouster all enter off stakes wins. Gift List, an import from England, comes in off a powerful 4 1/2-length win in the April 30 Edgewood (G2). Con Lima returned to the turf and rolled to a four-length win in the listed Honeybee at Gulfstream Park on March 27, while Jouster has won three of his last four – all in front-running fashion – including April 3 Appalachian at Keeneland.

Friday

$300,000 Bed o’ Roses Stakes (G3), 7 furlongs, fillies and mares, 4-year-olds and up

Grade 2 winner Lake Avenue gets class relief after finishing fourth as the favorite in the May 2 Ruffian (G2). Victim of Love beat a couple of these expected rivals when winning the Vagrancy (G3) for the second year in a row on May 8. Bayerness returned from a layoff to win a second-level allowance at Churchill Downs on April 24.

$400,000 Belmont Gold Cup (G2), 2 miles (turf), 4-year-olds and up

Trainer Joseph O’Brien ships Baron Samedi from Ireland for this rare 2-mile race in North America. He was a Group 2 winner at Longchamp last October and kicked off his 4-year-old campaign with a win in the Group 3 Vintage Crop Stakes on April 25 at Navan in Ireland. Ziyad and So High will look to improve on off-the-board finishes in the Man o’ War (G1) earlier this month, while Sadler’s Joy returns to New York after a pair of fourth-place finishes in graded stakes at Gulfstream Park.

$750,000 New York (G2), 1 1/4 miles (turf), fillies and mares, 4-year-olds and up

An intriguing matchup is shaping up as Mean Mary, Harvey’s Lil Goil and Magic Attitude all enter off graded-stakes wins. Mean Mary won the Gallorette (G3) in her first start since the Breeders’ Cup, while Magic Attitude added a second stateside graded-stakes win in the May 1 Sheepshead Bay (G2). Grade 1 winner Harvey’s Lil Goil won the May 8 Beaugay (G3) at Belmont in her 4-year-old bow.

$150,000 Tremont Stakes, 5 furlongs, 2-year-olds and up

Lining up are maiden winners from Keeneland, Belmont Park, Gulfstream Park and Indiana Downs. Baytown Frosty was never a factor when sixth, beaten seven lengths over a sloppy at Churchill Downs in the Kentucky Juvenile on April 28.

$300,000 True North Stakes (G2), 6 1/2 furlongs, 4-year-olds and up

Flagstaff enters with consecutive wins in the Commonwealth (G3) and Churchill Downs (G1). Firenze Fire, who is a sparkling 6-1-0 in nine starts at Belmont Park, exits an open lengths win in the May 8 Runhappy (G3) at Belmont. Phat Man, Basin and Shashashakemeup all finished well back of Flagstaff in the Churchill Downs.